Orchard-heater.



J. L. QUINN.

ORCHARD HEATER. APPLICATION FILED Dec. 29. 1913. 152%@97949 Patented Apr. 17, 1917.

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J. L. QUINN.

ORCHARD HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED 050.29. 1913.

' Patented Apr. 17, 1917.

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JOHN L. QUINN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, .ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD OIL COM- PARTY 0F CALIFORNIA, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION' OF CALI- FORNIA.

ORCHARD-HEATER.

Specication/ of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr., l, 1911"?.

Application led December 2,9, 1913. Serial No. 809,239.

To all whom t mag/"concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN L. QUINN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los'Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Orchard-Heater, of which the following is a specification.

rIhis invention relates to means for heating orchards to protect the same from frost, and the main object of the invention is to provide a heater which will apply the heat effectively to the trees to be heated or protected.

A further object of the invention is to provide a heater which is adapted t0 deliverthe heat directly under or within the trees to be protected, so that the foliage of the trees will be edective in retaining the heat.

Another object of the invention is to provide a heater of this character with improved means for distributingthe heat as required.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

rFhe accompanying drawings illustrate the invention, and referring thereto:

Figure l is a plan view of the heater, with the distributing devices thereon.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the heater with the distributing devices removed and with the protecting wind shield partly broken away.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a key for the burner of the heater.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section showing a modification of the supporting means for the distributing pipes. v

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the application of the invention for heating several trees at once, from the same heater. i

rIhe heater comprises a casing 1 adapted to contain an oil burner 2 or other burner, a stack 8 extending upwardly from said casing 1, and distributing means on top of said stack. The heater casing 1 is mounted on suitablelegs or supports 4, and said casing is provided with perforations 5 for admission of air to said burner, and with a door 6 for access to the burner. The burner 2 rests on the floor l of the casing 1 and is adapted to be inserted or withdrawn through an opening 6 in the top 'of said casing, when required. Said burner is provided with the usual means 7 for turning a wick 8, up or down, said means 7 being provided with a portion 7 adapted to receive a socket 9 of the controlling key 9, adapted to be inserted through an opening l0 in the side of the casing.

rFhe stack 3 is hinged at 12 to the top of the casing 1, and is normally held in fixed position on the casing by a latch or catch 13. At its upper portion said stack is provided with air inlets 14 for admitting air to the heated products of combustion, so as to moderate the heat thereof, a damper ring 15 being provided for controlling the amount of air admitted in this manner. Above these air inlets 14 a mixing means is preferably provided, consisting of a fan 16 mounted to rotate on pivot pins 17 and carrying blades 18, said fan 16 being interposed in the upper part of the stack, so as to 'be rotated by the current of air passing therethrough, and to thereby cause effective mixture of the cool air from the inlets 14 with the hot products of combustion.

Distributing means are provided at the upper end of the stack, consisting of pipes 2O communicating with the stack and entending upwardly and outwardly therefrom. rlhese pipes are movablyv mounted on the stack so as to be turned to any desired angular position. For this purpose thimbles or hollow nipples 22 are provided on the top 23 of the stack, and said pipes are provided with sleeves 24 surroundingand rotatably engaging said nipples. IThese sleeves 24 may be formed in the nature of elbows for receiving the lirstvsection 26,401Q said pipe. Fach of the distributing pipes 4is preferably composed of. a number of sections placed end to end and rotatably, loosely and removably connected together by elbows or couplings 28, said sections including inclined sections 29 and vertical sections 20, if desired. The couplings 28 are smooth interiorly and loosely telescope the respective ends of the asections, thus permitting the relative rotation and angular adjustment of the sections and the removal thereof so that the distributing pipes may be lengthened,

shortened or adjusted to various angular positions to suit peculiar tree formations and to provide for effective distribution of heated air and smoke. By using any kdesired number of horizontal sections, such as 28, in-

clined sectionssuch as 29, and vertical sections such as 20, any desired range or manner of distribution may be secured. The said pipe sections 26, 29 and 20 are perforated as shown at 31, for passage of the warm gaseous products therefrom. Sections 20 are provided with caps 30 at the top. With a plurality of distributing pipes fan 16 acts to cause a uniform distribution of heat from the heater into the inlet ends of all of the distributing pipes and prevents any back draft of cold air ,in any of said pipes which is apt to otherwise occur.

A. wind shield 33 is preferably provided, consisting of a tubular shell of sheet metal surrounding the burner and casing, and open at the top so that aircan pass downward within said shelland through the perforations 5 tothe burner, but any wind is dei liected by said shield, preventing the burner-,from bein blown out or caused to burn unsatisfactorlly by a strong wind.

yThe operation of this form of my invention is as follows: The burner 2 being ignited, the air entering through the openings 5 1s heated by the products of combustion;

r thesaid burner and the hot products of combustion passing upwardly through the stack j 3 are mixed with cool airentering through the inlets 14, so as to moderate the heat to .a temperature at which it may safely be brought in direct contact with the foliage of the tree. The burner is placed directly under the tree 'or adjacent thereto and the distributing p1pes are turned on ltheir swivel supports and adjusted in such manner as to convey the heat into the interior of the tree, so as ,to distribute it more4 or less uniformly over the lower portion at least, of the tree., In this connection it may be under stood that the pipes may be turned on. thelr supporting nipples 22 and that each -"section of pipe may be turned on the precedingsection so that the vertically extending .sections 2.0 may be bent down to one, side or the other by turning their collars 28 on the preceding inclined sections 29. By

greatest Ieiiciency, since the foliage of the treesl serves to retain said heat. This is articularly-theA case with orange trees w ere the foliage is very dense and is mostly at the ends lof the branches, forming a more or less complete wall of foliage surrounding a comparatively empty space near the trunk; heat is applied to this comparatively empty space and radually diffuses through the foliage, there y protecting the foliage in the most uniform and elfective manner.

It will be understood that any one or more of the sections 29 or 20 may be un'- coupled and removed, the said sections slipping into or out ofthe couplings 28v and being held.therein by friction, so that sections may be added or taken olf as desired. r In place of swiveling the 'distributing pipes or nipples on the stack, said nipples may themselves be made revoluble on the top of the stack, as shown in Fig. 5, wherein each nipple or ythimble 35 is provided with a grooved ring 36 engaging the edge of the opening 37 in the top 38 of the stack 39. In this case the distributing pipe or the rst section thereof may bel tight on this rotatable nipple, the adjustment of the pipe being effected by rotation of the nipple in its bearing.

While my invention is especially designed for use in heating individual trees, I may apply it as shown in Fig. 6, to heating several trees at once, the distributing pipes 40 from the heater lllpassing to several trees, as indicated at 42, and being perforated only at their ends where they pass into the trees.

What I claimA is:

1. An orchard heater comprising a. burner,

a stack for the burner adapted to contain heated air and the products of combustion from the burner,.and a plurality of angular` perforatedv heat distributing pipes rotatably connected with the stack, each pipe com- 4 prising a plurality of relatively angularly adjustable J'perforated sections.

2. An orchard heater comprising a burner, a stack-for the burner adapted to contain heated air and the products of combustion from the burner, and a plurality of angular perforated heat distributing pipes'rotatably connected with the stack, each pipe comprising a plurality of relatively rotatable perforated sections, said 'pipes being closed at their outer ends. j

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 22nd day of December, 1913.

JOHN L. QUINN.

In presence of A. P. KNIGHT,

LORRAINE E. Donnow. 

